Just because your home was built pre-Internet doesn't mean it has to look fuddy-duddy - wall coverings and snappy fabrics will keep it current

A chrome coffee table, goat-hide stools and sisal rug give this room a modern feel, but not too modern.

Photograph by: Handout photo
, Hudson Interior Design

Hi Jeffrey

My soon-to-be husband (second marriages for us both) and I were in the Niagara Region this past fall daydreaming about one day owning a country place to escape the city.

The next thing I knew, Doug and I were in a realtor's office looking at properties. Quick to follow was our December close on a century-old house. We're not kids and in fact both of our families are grown and out of our respective houses. He has a house, I have a house and now we have our house. All of this is to say we don't want our weekend place (that will eventually transition into our retirement home) to look fuddy-duddy and country. We love that we have purchased an historical home but want the interior to be fresh and vibrant. Any ideas?

Thank you,

Barb

Hi Barb,

When I do an impulse weekend purchase it's on a much less expensive item than a house (think jeans, maybe a pair of shoes). Considering you were in Niagara, I assume there was wine involved?

I'm showing you a photo of a room designed by Boston interior designer Jill Goldberg (hudsoninteriordesigns.com). Jill opened her home-furnishings boutique, Hudson, in 2006 and from that came her full-service residential design firm in 2010.

Where I grew up in Nova Scotia, we would have referred to the room pictured as the "back room." It was much more relaxed than the "front room," in which no one ever sat. That lesson aside, this room has the design essence I want you to incorporate in your home in order to achieve a fresh, vibrant look. In the words of Hudson Interiors: "traditional, country and vintage meets modern."

I love this living room because there is no mistaking it's in an historical home, yet it looks classically current. Grass cloth wall covering has made a comeback in the last couple of years, and used above the chair rail (which we typically consider traditional), provides this room a vintage component. I also think of a fabric-draped accent table covered in photos as a traditional decor standard, but when the table is covered in burlap and has a mercury glass lamp on it, it takes on an entirely different feel.

The chrome coffee table and goat-hide-covered stools sitting on top of a bound sisal rug add to the modern feel of the room. And although the fireplace is large, its mantel is slim, which adds character without taking up a lot of space.

So that we don't forget we're in the country, Ms. Goldberg has thrown in a couple of vintage red stools and an old oil painting that looks as if she found them on a weekend of antiquing. And take notice of the shell candle sconces. All of these details add to the overall success of this room. I bet if you searched Doug's house and yours, you'd have a treasure trove of things to take to the country. Though remember it's not a dumping ground for the things neither of you want in your city homes.

The sofa (you can see more of it on the Hudson website) and tub chairs aren't fussy furniture pieces and the upholstery keeps them looking current and not fuddy-duddy. The sofa is slip-covered in a solid oatmeal colour and the two chairs in a beautiful graphic fretwork pattern. Ms. Goldberg chose a different fretwork pattern for the roman blinds, and by keeping all the fabrics transitional/modern, she has avoided the country feel you also wish to sidestep. If you repurpose furniture from your present homes, be sure to recover them in fabrics that don't look old-fashioned - and don't forget a pop of colour!

I think if you take this photo as inspiration for your new home, it will serve you well. Keep 75% of each room's contents looking transitional and the other 25% with antique or traditional elements and you'll find your rooms have the desired freshness without completely turning your back on the historical past of your new purchase.

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